1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adjustable support attachment to facilitate the handling of long or unwieldy stock in stationary power tools and the like, and more particularly, to a support attachment which is adapted for mounting on a base and which is readily adjustable, collapsible, and portable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When performing carpentry or machining operations, it is sometimes desirable to provide support for portions of the work piece. A variety of support devices are generally available for supporting long or unwieldy stock, such as long pieces of lumber or large sections of plywood or wall paneling that are being processed in stationary power tools, such as table saws, radial arm saws, routers, table surface planers, etc.
Prior art support devices have generally been of two types. A first type is bolted or otherwise attached to the power tool while extending outwardly from a table or other main portion of the tool. Such devices are understandably of limited use since they can only be spaced a relatively short distance from the power tool, thereby often being incapable of providing the type of support contemplated where necessary to handle long or unwieldy stock or work pieces in the power tool.
Another type of support device is of a freestanding type capable of movement relative to the power tool for overcoming the limitation referred to above. The most common freestanding type of support device includes a single roller vertically adjustable on a tripod-like base. However, such roller stands have many shortcomings, the most notable of which is instability. Such roller stands cannot be set to the table height without the natural downturn of the wood coming off the table knocking over the stand. Furthermore, roller stands use a fixed axis which must be set perpendicular to the saw blade rip fence so as not to push or pull material from the rip fence. In addition, these support devices are relatively bulky and difficult to store and are designed to function in very limited capacities.
Yet another freestanding support device available in the prior art includes one or more rollers forming a top surface for a four-legged table. Again, these support devices are relatively bulky and difficult to store.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an improved work support which could offer improved stability, ease of operation, and portability; one which could be readily stored and employed when desired as an independently movable and stable support device, as well as being mounted on a platform that could otherwise serve a basic need such as a sawhorse, with the adjustability necessary for facilitating the handling of long or unwieldy stock in stationary and portable power tools. In that regard, the present invention particularly contemplates the handling of long lengths or panels of lumber, plywood, and the like in stationary power tools such as those described above.